


Safe Together

by BasketofSins



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Demon Valerius, Double Penetration, F/M, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Human/Monster Romance, Light Dom/sub, Non-Human Genitalia, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Reversed Ending (The Arcana), Spoilers, Teratophilia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 02:22:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19097806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BasketofSins/pseuds/BasketofSins
Summary: Takes place after the theoretical Reversed Ending of a Valerius route. You and Valerius live alone in what's left of his estate after the Devil won. His chains intact, Valerius is now a full demon, but your love is unchanged. The two of you are trying to make the best of the situation, finding your happiness in each other.





	Safe Together

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely in the running for the most self indulgent thing I’ve ever written, but eh who cares XD This story is inspired by Julian’s reversed ending but I haven’t actually played it, so forgive me if the world I’ve built here doesn’t work the way it does in canon. Valerius is a full demon here, which basically just means the human parts of his sprite are gone and both sides match now.

Sometimes, you still wake up screaming. Dreams, memories, what’s the difference, anymore? The visions are all horrific, all tragic.

Gentle claws pull you close, a normally cool voice warm with concern murmuring comfort in your ear. “There, there, Darling. You’re perfectly safe.”

You bury your face in the crook of a familiar neck covered in a medley of scales and fur. Your trembling eventually fades as you lie enveloped in faintly wine-scented warmth.

Valerius brings one clawed hand up to thread carefully through your hair. “We’re safe and together, my love.”

Safe and together. The mantra that’s kept you both sane. As long as it’s true, you can convince yourselves nothing else matters. It keeps the bad feelings at bay.

“I saw… him, again,” you whisper.

Valerius frowns, slit pupils narrowing as he somehow manages to hold you even closer. “Don’t worry about him. He promised to leave us alone, remember?”

Oh, you remember all too well. The Devil’s bargain. Valerius’ choice. Lucio’s death. The meshing of the worlds. The end of life as you’d known it. The fusing of this estate with the Hierophant’s realm.

The sight of chains wrapped tight around the man you love. Chains which you know have only gotten tighter, since then.

“Until he needs something from us. From you.” You caress a scaly cheek. “I wish… I wish I could free you from him.”

Valerius swallows audibly, but his face shows only a dismissive sneer. “And let him hurt you? Let him separate us? Never.”

You nod sadly. He sighs, then brightens a little. A claw lifts your chin.

“Besides, I’d have to give up this form, and all the little bonuses you’ve grown so fond of.” A smirk tugs at his mouth, revealing his fangs.

He has a point. Once you finally convinced him that he’s still attractive, like this, a series of extremely pleasurable experiments had followed. There were, indeed, many advantages to his current form.

You give a tiny laugh and settle against him again. “Good point.”

“Of course, it is.” He smiles into your hair. “All of my points are good.”

You can’t know how long you spend like this, curled around each other. A bubble of contentment in a sea of chaos.

Valerius _can_ know, however. His internal clock is still infallible, one of the more stubborn remnants of his humanity. You’re grateful for the sense of routine it provides, but there are times when you could do well without it. Such as now.

“We should get up,” he mutters regretfully.

You whine and tighten your hold on him. “Nooo…”

“It’s almost noon, my dear. We ought to have been up ages ago.”

You’re tempted to protest that your usual activities can wait indefinitely, but the routine is all either of you have, in this upside-down world.

You sit up with a pout. “Fine, but you owe me another cuddle session, later.”

He chuckles, the sound raspier than it was when he was human. “Naturally.”

Breakfast is on the table, just as it always is. It is summoned by your desire to eat, rather than being manually cooked. As such, it always takes the form of whatever you felt like eating. The only catch is that the food tastes like your memory of the original food, so you can’t taste anything new. And if your memory shifts, so does the taste of this food.

You munch a croissant that tastes a lot fruitier than you think it’s supposed to, while Valerius sips his usual glass of wine.

“We need to sneak out into the city and find some food that’s been freshly baked. I heard a friend of mine is keeping up the habit for old time’s sake.”

Valerius nods. “I suppose we cannot content ourselves with ghost food, forever.”

Your thoughts wander back to the days when you and Asra would stop by the bakery. Things were so much simpler. Easier. You miss your old life. You miss Asra and Muriel and all your other friends. 

Most of them are hiding in what’s left of the Arcana’s realms or behind their personal doors. You see them very rarely, and when you do… Well, you and Valerius chose your side. They chose theirs. Julian is the only one who isn’t angry or distrustful of you both, as he claims he’d have done the same thing in your place. And he’s usually busy, trying to help the people cope.

Valerius can easily guess where your thoughts have turned, and does his best to change the subject, but things hang unspoken in the air.

After breakfast, you set out for a turn about the estate in a carriage without wheels, pulled by a pair of giant worms. Housewarming gifts from Vlastomil. You aren’t a big fan of the creatures, but they’re gentle enough, and get the job done.

The carriage ride is quieter than usual. You’re still brooding a little, and Valerius seems absorbed in observing the shifting landscape.

“…A penny for your thoughts, Consul?” Pennies no longer have value, and Valerius is no longer a consul, but your phrase sparks enough nostalgia to draw his attention.

He sighs, staring into his wine. “…It’s nothing. I just… Do you think I made the wrong…” He blinks at you, a rare show of vulnerability in his features.

You take his clawed hand and squeeze it comfortingly. “We’ve been over this, Valerius. We both did what we thought was best. You didn’t want to risk the Devil hurting me, and I didn’t want him to hurt you, either.”

He squeezes your hand back. “…You’re right, of course. Besides, what could we have done? It is arrogant folly to suppose we could have saved the world.”

You both suspect otherwise, but neither of you have the heart to say it aloud. To admit you could have stopped the Devil would be to assume a lot more guilt than your fragile spirits could handle.

The evening- or, rather, what Valerius’ internal clock deems “evening,” is spent reading. One of the few things that survived the fusion intact was Valerius’ library. Thousands of books, generations’ worth of collecting, plus many that you and Valerius have bartered for or salvaged from the ever-shifting ruins of the city. You both find hefty novels to get lost in, reading in companionable silence.

Eventually, your focus shifts to Valerius. His monstrous shape does nothing to dilute the old mannerisms of your lover. Everything from the angle of his brows, to the way he sips his wine, to the feigned annoyance in his golden eyes when he notices you staring at him.

“What?” he demands.

“You’re so cute when you read.”

He blushes, his flustered expression every bit as endearing as ever. “I… Thank you, I suppose?”

You laugh as his confused expression and go to him, sitting beside him on a sofa. “You’re cute all the time, to be fair.”

He clears his throat. “Not as cute as you are.”

You’re the one blushing, now. “Oh, stop…”

He chuckles, tilting your face up. “I shan’t. You are ravishing, Magician.”

You smile, and he leans in to kiss you. His lips feel very different, these days, but their intent hasn’t changed. Even scaly and strangely shaped as they are, they’re still soft enough to caress yours. As much as you sometimes miss the old velvet pillows, you’re more than compensated by the gentle nip of sharp teeth.

You sigh into the kiss, scooting closer to Valerius. His hand travels from your chin to your cheek, claws cool against your skin, while the other settles at your waist. Gentle, reverent. Holding you as if he’s never touched anything so precious.

You lick at his mouth and he takes the hint, his long tongue wrapping around yours as your faces press closer together. You climb onto his lap for a better angle, straddling his waist and pushing him back until he’s reclining against the sofa cushions.

Your hands move up and tangle in his hair. It’s longer and coarser than it once was, but your little tugs cause him to moan into your mouth just as easily as ever. Clawed hands hold you close, very lightly scratching the skin under your top.

“Beautiful,” Valerius whispers, nibbling at your ear. “So beautiful. I can hardly believe you’re mine.”

“I can hardly believe _you’re_ mine.” You tighten your hold on his hair. “You’re magnificent.”

Valerius sighs in rapture, his mouth finding your neck. He’s very aware of how sharp his teeth are, never breaking the skin unless you want him to. Never harming you without your consent. He takes such care of you, his priceless treasure.

You gasp as he licks and bites along your throat. He knows every place that makes you whine, lavishing extra attention to the sensitive spot your neck meets your shoulder. You melt like warm butter into his arms, all tension falling from you.

“I believe it’s bedtime,” Valerius states suddenly.

You look at him with a confused frown. “Already? We haven’t even had dinner yet.”

“Now now, my dear, who has the better sense of time? If I say it’s time to go to bed, you should probably listen to me.” There’s a smile in his eyes; you suspect an ulterior meaning to his words.

“Very well, Consul. Let us retire to our room.” You turn and stretch out on his lap.

Valerius snorts, catching the hint. He picks you up as he stands, carrying you bridal style in his arms. The added height and strength of this form allows him to carry you easily up the stairs. You wrap your arms around his neck and grin the whole way, earning yourself an affectionate kiss to your temple.

The room you and Valerius call your own isn’t especially fancy. It doesn’t need to be, as you spend most of your time in other parts of the house. The bed is the exception, the result of your combined willpower shaping it. Sheets of the softest cotton, blankets spun of golden silk, pillows stuffed with the fluffiest down. And it’s huge, big enough to comfortably fit you and your demon lover with room to spare.

Valerius sets you down in the middle of the bed and then climbs onto it himself, looming over you with a familiar smirk. You pose seductively on the sheets, blushing but excited by his hungry gaze. His eyes are half-lidded and smoldering as they drag slowly over your body. As if he’s already planning what he’s going to do with you.

“Something tells me your plans don’t involve sleeping?” You tease.

“Well, technically, I only suggested we go to bed. I said nothing about sleep.” He hardly wastes another moment before leaning down to kiss you.

You hum happily, grabbing his shoulder and pulling yourself up. He deepens the kiss, eyes fluttering shut as he supports your back with a clawed hand. His other hand tugs at the fastenings of your clothes, soon assisted by your own free hand. Together, you manage to fumble your clothes off, his fur tickling your bare skin.

Valerius moves down and licks slowly over the nearest nipple. You whine softly, clutching at his hair. He moves to the other nipple after a while, working it with his long tongue and sucking gently, then switches back. He keeps this up until you can’t help begging just a little.

“Please, Consul.” You gaze at him longingly. “I need more. Please.”

He huffs a laugh into your cleavage. “Patience, my darling.” He moves down, rubbing the pads of his thumbs over your nipples as he licks a stripe down your stomach.

Your dynamic shifted drastically as he changed. Letting him top used to be a rare treat; now you switch it up frequently. And today, you’re more than happy to let him care of you.

Valerius nips gently at your thighs, working his way up to where you really want him. He waits until you start squirming to finally put his mouth on you. You moan, appreciating how long his tongue is as he delves into your depths. Your hands find his hair and sink into it, tugging him closer. He chuckles, his warm breath puffing onto your sex.

“Do you know what ‘patience’ means, my dear?” He teases, sinking a finger into your other hole and very carefully working it, always conscious of his claws. “You know we technically have eternity to do this.”

You whine, pulling him even closer. “When it comes to you? Even eternity doesn’t feel like enough.”

Valerius moans softly against you, relishing both your words and your hands in his hair. He returns to his prior task, working absolute wonders with his tongue, and adding a second finger as you relax. Pleasure rushes through you in tingling waves every time he hits a particularly sensitive spot.

He eventually pulls away, and you pout at the sudden loss of sensation.

“What’s wrong, _ma Chérie?”_ Valerius’ smirk is back. “Do you need something?”

“You know darn well what I need,” you counter, trying to act angry and not laugh.

“You’ll have to be more specific, darling.” His voice is soft but deep, with the slightest growl running underneath it. It races down your spine and causes your arousal to increase just from the sound. “Use your words. What is it exactly that you want me to do with you?”

You whine a little. “I- I need… I would like you inside me. Please.”

Valerius’ expression is a mixture of lust and adoration, wrapped in smug delight. “I thought you might.”

He moves up the bed, flopping against the pillows, then takes hold of you and flips you onto him so you’re straddling his waist. You give a surprised yelp, then shiver at the feeling of something hard pressing into your rear.

“Do you trust me?” Valerius asks quietly, persona dropped for a second.

“I do.” You run a hand through his hair. “With my life.”

“And you’ll tell me if anything hurts in a non-enjoyable way?”

“I promise. Will you?”

“Of course.”

You always have an exchange along these lines before things get serious. It was a comforting habit when he was human, and now it’s an essential step in the process. Context has made it feel sexier over time, and now you’re that much wetter in anticipation.

Picking up the dominant thread where he left off, Valerius smiles lazily at you. “Disrobe me, then.”

You nod and start undoing the fastenings. Unbuttoning buttons, untying ties. Rubbing your butt against his bulge every so often, earning a little gasp each time.

“It’d be faster with help,” you hint.

The smirk darkens mischievously. “Earn your keep, Magician. Prove you really want this.”

You flush and mutter and your fingers fumble, but you eventually get the robes undone. They fall open to reveal lightly toned muscles, covered in broad swaths of fur and scales. You scoot back a little, feeling both of his dicks poking you. Valerius bites his lip, a blush creeping up his neck and blooming across his sharp cheekbones. 

“They should be slicker before we start,” he mutters, trying to compose himself. “Think you can help me with that?”

“I think I can.” You smirk as you move down the bed.

They’re both quite large, longer and a little thicker than his original one was, and sky blue in color. They’re flushed purple towards the head, now. Both have glistening beads of arousal at the tip.

You start with the upper one, running your tongue greedily up and down his length. Your jaw automatically rubs the lower one, and you keep it there with your hand. The reaction from Valerius is so instantaneous, the moan so easily escaping his throat and his hands burying so quickly into your hair, that you know he’s been hiding his arousal all evening. You move very slowly, unable to resist teasing him a little.

“Cunning Witch,” he hisses, pulling your hair. “Don’t try to toy with me. I’m in charge, tonight. Are you going to make me prove it?”

You’re tempted to disobey for that exact purpose, but you’ve been denied so long already… You don’t want to risk him extending the wait.

You pull back long enough to whisper a breathless “No, Consul,” then return to your work with an increased pace. Valerius bites his lip, trying to hide how much he’s enjoying this. You switch back and forth between the two, now, always rubbing the other with your free hand.

Your mouth is watering and it isn’t too much longer before he dubs both dicks sufficiently wet and stops you. “That’s good enough, I think. Come here.”

You crawl over Valerius until you’re face-to-face again. He hesitates a long moment without asking anything else of you, caressing your cheek with his claws.

“…Uh, Val?” You tilt your head in confusion.

“Indulge me for a few heartbeats, Darling. I want to savior you, all flushed and eager, like this. What are our lives, now, but a series of moments and memories? I want to keep this one.”

You smile bittersweetly, and lean in to kiss him. He reciprocates with a sort of tender desperation, and you know that he’s thinking those sad, guilty thoughts from earlier.

You deepen the kiss and tangle one hand in his hair, reaching back to rub him with the other. Trying to distract him. It works, Valerius shivering under you with a hissing gasp.

“I’d like to savior you too, Consul.” You grin at him, your expression and tone a challenge. “Do you intend to let me? Or must I satisfy myself?”

Valerius gives you a matching smirk, his mood visibly rising to meet that challenge. “The only satisfaction you’ll be getting will be at my discretion, Witch.” His hands sneak around to your rear and he resumes gently stretching you, the other claws digging into your butt lightly. “I suggest you behave, if you want to earn it.”

You squirm impatiently, but nod. “I am butter in your hands, Consul. Melt me at your leisure.”

“Your pretty words don’t match your wiggling, my dear.” He chuckles, drawing you closer so warm air ghosts over your neck. “But I’m feeling merciful. You have permission to ride me, now.”

“Both, my Lord?” You blink hopefully.

The title draws an extra lustful gleam to his gold eyes. “Start with the lower one. Slowly, now. Don’t get too ambitious.”

You gingerly lower yourself onto him, moaning at how he fills and stretches you. Valerius growls, the sound reverberating in your chest. He shifts a little so he can more easily nibble and lick at your collarbone.

“Go on,” he mumbles into the crook of your neck.

You raise yourself up and sink slowly back down, whimpering. Valerius’ claws drag along your back and sides, settling on your hips. 

“That’s it, keep going.”

You set an agonizingly slow pace, whining at the sensations as well as from his mouth on your throat. His upper length is in perfect position to rub your clit as you move, which you suspect was the idea.

Valerius hardly moves, except when he pulls away to sip from a wine glass he procured from somewhere. He’s clearly expecting you to do most of the work, but he’s more than happy to encourage you. “You’re doing so well, _Chérie.”_

You bite your lip and speed up a little. He watches you with adoring eyes for a few minutes, then gently stops you.

“Good. Are you ready for both?” He smirks, setting the glass aside. “I’m not certain you can handle it.”

“More than ready. Please, Consul. I’ve been waiting so long.”

The smirk softens as he relents. “Then get to it, Magician.”

You reach back to guide him into your holes. All the preparation is suddenly paying off, as you feel almost no discomfort as he slides into you. Just glorious fullness. You whine, your limbs going weak, and it’s a very good thing Valerius is supporting you.

He hisses under his breath, holding you close. “You feel so divine, my love.”

“So do you.” You kiss him, your hands finding their way up to his horns.

They’re sensitive, you know, so you keep your grip light at first. It’s still enough to make him shiver under you, growling as he rakes his claws down your back just hard enough to sting. You give a strangled cry, your grip tightening as you start riding him in earnest.

The noise Valerius makes isn’t human or even animal, but something otherworldly. A strange growl-whine, like a sound from the bottom of an abyss. He’s a creature of willpower and shadow and hedonistic desires in the form of a monster. And he belongs to you. Craves you. Needs you.

He breathes hot air over a pert nipple, licks firmly over it, delights in your resulting shutter and breathy moan. He loves seeing the effect he has on you.

“Valerius…” you whine, gripping his horns like a lifeline. It feels like your whole body is stretching to fit both of his dicks. You never get tired of the feeling, no matter how many times you’ve taken him.

Whimpering your name, Valerius is looking at you as if he’s never seen anything so beautiful. He can no longer resist thrusting up into you. Can’t help gripping your butt, guiding you to a faster pace. In spite of trying to control the situation, he’s losing himself to the pleasure. His head is thrown back as far as your grip on his horns will allow, eyes squeezed shut as he moans.

You tremble, making high pitched little noises as you get close. So close. You just need a little more…

As if sensing this, Valerius moves to rub your clit, expertly keeping his claws away. You moan, releasing a horn so you can grip a handful of his hair.

_“Come for me, my darling,”_ he growls, the sound setting your nerves on fire in the most delicious way.

You tumble over the edge, crying out as a rush of pleasure crashes over you. You clutch at horn and hair to ground yourself.

This, combined with your walls clenching around him, brings Valerius over the edge right behind you. He roars your name, the sound ringing from every corner of the room, while his claws leave red marks on your skin.

You cling to one another, panting for breath, your combined fluids pooling beneath you.

_“Ma chérie,”_ he whispers, his tone awestruck.

You lift yourself off of him with a whine, then collapse next to him on the pillows. He pulls you close and you run your fingers through his hair as you kiss him.

“You did so well, my love,” he mutters when you stop to breathe. “Such a good girl for me…”

“Remember that next time I’m in charge,” you tease.

Valerius smiles mischievously. “I will try, but you mustn’t be surprised if I misbehave a little. I am a demon, after all. It’s in my nature.”

“Well, I happen to like your nature.” You kiss him on the nose, your playful tone turning affectionate. “You were wonderful too, you know. I’m very lucky.”

He’s beaming at you as if you’re his entire world. “I’m the lucky one.”

Valerius wraps you in his warm arms, fur caressing your skin. He buries his face in the crook of your neck and holds you close. You breathe together. Just breathing. Simply existing. A tiny paradise.

It’s moments like this, when you hold each other this close. When all your senses are consumed with love. With _him._ These moments make it all worthwhile. All the pain, all the guilt, the state of the world around you… None of it matters, right now.

You’re safe, and you’re together.

And it’s enough.


End file.
